Devils Reunion (rewrite)
by anonauthor06
Summary: Rio meet Japan's newest prime minister. A rewritten version. Definitely Rio x Karma cuz i just love this pairing!
1. chapter 1

After another busy day at the embassy, Rio sure was glad when she finally hit her bed that day. Work this week was exceptionally more as they were preparing for the newly elected prime minister's first visit to the US. Rio smiled at the thought. She may finally see one of her old friend again. She turned her head to her right. There on the floor just beside her bed sat the advice book Koro-sensei made for her. 'Those were the happy old times,' she thought. Her mind wandered for a little while to the time when the class were trained to be skilled assasins before a beep from her phone attracted her back to reality. Gingerly, she reached for the phone and read a text from Kayano. '1 day to Karma's visit!' it said. She smiled. The actress (now may also be director) had made it her personal duty to do a countdown for Rio on Karma's arrival to the country she now call home. Suddenly, a thought hit her. It had been more than ten years since she last saw him at their graduation. Heck, it had been exactly ten years since her family decided to permanently move to America and she hadn't step foot on Japanese soil since. Did he even remember her?

xxxxx

Meanwhile, across the globe, a certain red-haired Prime Minister was going through his own book of advices. It made him smile (and a bit touched, though he would never admit that) to think that Koro-sensei had thought that he may one day be the Prime Minister. The book (and his natural amazingness) were what made it possible for him to climb the politic ladder with unbelievable speed. He had morphed from only an officer in the ministry to the Prime Minister in only 3 years time! Sure, senior ministers doubted his capabilities all the time, but he had proven them wrong again and again. Honestly, everyone was surprised at the speed he was in, even former 3-E students. They knew Karma is something else, but to be the Prime Minister in just 3 years? That's plain crazy. Yet he did it.

After going through a few pages, Karma closed the **very** thick book and began to prepare for his long flight. He would be going for his first diplomatic visit! He was going to America. His thoughts went to his once partner-in-crime. He remembered the blonde well. He actually followed her progress over the years since graduation through Kayano, who was more than happy to provide the news. He did it casually though so as to not want her to question his curiosity. She never did and he was glad for it. Plus, if she ever did as little as give him a weird look, he would redirect the conversation to be about her relationship with Nagisa. That always shut her up as she would be too busy blushing. Deep down, he hoped Rio at least remembered him, if not as a friend, as a classmate. Karma checked the last of his things before heading to the awaiting car that would bring him to the airport for a quick press conference before he departed for the US.

Even in the plane, Karma could not afford to rest. Work was piling in front him in the form of documents in his tablet and paper stacks. He was glad for the private room in the private jet as no one could see what he was doing. He hated it when people saw him working hard as he had a reputation to withhold. People had always thought of him as a very laid-back person who somehow got everything done perfectly, but what they didn't know was, behind closed doors, he worked hard to achieve the perfection level. Then, he heard a ding. It came from his personal phone. He fished it out of the pocket of his briefcase. An unknown number. Now how did this person get his number? He opened the text. 'Don't forget to look for Rio!' it said. He immediately knew who was it from. Kayano. As far as he knew, she was the only one who was close enough to Rio that they were on first name basis. He texted back, 'You should ask HER to look for ME, Kayano'. No immediate reply. She must be on the set. He placed the phone down beside the papers and picked up his tablet. Time for work!

xxxxx

Rio loved parties. But political one, not so much. After all, she would rather spend time alone on her couch rather than mingling with pervert old rich guys. Unfortunately, her job required her to attend those 'social' parties. She was almost to her goal. A diplomat. She was going to be an ambasador soon. Like Karma, her stride up the career goal was swift. She will be the Japanese ambasador in America before she reached 30! She did her best in proving herself and making sure all the important people actually like her, even of it meant she had to pretend to be interested in whatever they were talking about and refrained herself from killing old geezers who flirted with her nonstop. Like she would sleep with them. Never. She had high taste, y'know.

Tonight was a party to celebrate the arrival of Japan's Prime Minister, Akabane Karma. Rio donned herself a long dark blue dress that looked elegant yet still profesional. As she walked through the crowd and stopped by here and there to talk to people, she noticed some guys eyeing her. The looks of disapoinment on their face because she wasn't showing much skin caused her to smirk a little. She glanced to the clock on her phone. It was 9pm. Karma had arrived at the party an hour ago, but she hadn't seen him, not even a glimpse. 'Who am i kidding? For all i know, he changed his looks and i won't recognize him,' she thought. Now she regretted volunteering to go check on the kitchen and meeting room before she herself joined the party. But she did volunteer, anyway and as a result, she missed Karma's grand entrance. Whatever, not that he remembered her anyway. An hour later, it was 10 pm, finally deciding to take a rest from donning fake smile, she decided its time. Time to sneak out and ditch party!

xxxxx

Jetlag from the long flight? Check. Exhausted from all the paperworks? Check. Deep and strong desire to sleep? Check. But no. No rest for him, not yet anyway. As soon as the plane touched down (it was already night), he was ushered to the Japan Embassy for a welcome party. It was exactly 8 pm when he entered the ballroom. And it was two hours later when he first spotted her. Her eyes seemed to survey the entrance and he immediately knew her plan. She was going to sneak out. From where he stood with a few diplomats, he could see her moves clearly. She maneuvered her way through the crowd, stopping a few times on her way to greet some people, and in no time, she made it out the door. He whistled under his breath, slow enough that only he heard it. After all this time, guess she was still a snake. And he was one too. He excused himself from the diplomats and the converaation they were having before tracing her steps. And just like hers, no one noticed his absence.

Out in the hallway, he wondered where did she went. If Kayano's information was genuine, Rio told her that sometimes she would go into the office to take a break from a party. He took the stairs to maintain his stealth. He walked along the hallway and tried to look for something that signalled her whereabouts. An office had its lights on. He smirked. Found her. He pushed open the glass door to found no one was in there. He sighed. Guess he was mistaken. As he began to close the door, he heard a faint breath. Slowly, hs stepped inside the office to make sure no footstep was heard. He then closed the door to make it seemed like he left. Thank goodness he practiced to be lighter on his feet. And the carpeted floor helped too. He took a seat on the sofa across the office table, waiting for someone to come out from under the table. And as he guessed, the person showed herself.

Honestly, Rio was quite proud of herself when the other person seemed to have no idea that she was in the room. She waited a while after he closed the door before jumping out. She stretched her back. Thats when she felt like someone was watching her. Turning back, she couldn't hide her shock upon seeing a guy sitting casually on the sofa. And it was not just a random guy. It was the prime minister!

 **Haiioo.. This is the rewrited version i told ya about in the old version. I wrote this one after rewatching the anime and reviewing the timeline. I tried to make it more sense. I wrote this on my phone, so i had a trouble estimating its length so sorry if its short. Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews and comments are welcomed and deeply appreciated!**


	2. chapter 2

**Hey guys. Thanks for reading and putting up with all the crappiness. I'll try improving my writing over time, promise. I'm not using any beta (since i don't even know how) so if there's any error, i'm sorry. i did try my best to make sure its minimum error though**.

The redhead and the blonde walked together, side by side, under the moonlight. Yes, it was exactly like one of those cringey romantic fairytales if not for the awkward silence between them. Few minutes into the walk, Karma couldn't help it anymore. The silence was too overbearing. "Let's take a seat there". He motioned to a park bench overlooking the water fountain. Rio nodded, still not saying anything and eyes glued to the ground.

"Y'know. I'm glad you still remember me," she said, when he sat down beside her, a respectable distance between them. If it was up to him, he would've sat closer but thinking it might scare her, he decided against it. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked. She sighed, "I don't know. I was never stand out too much in class and not after that either. In fact, i don't think i ever went to any reunions you guys threw". He turned around a little bit in his seat to look at her. He could see her flinch when his legs accidently brushed hers. "Hard to forget someone you love".

Her head whipped around, now facing him. Shock was clearly written on her lovely face. She looked so cute he wanted to kiss her. So he did. A hand on her cheek, he leaned in and claimed her lips. After a while, she kissed him back, clearly had gotten over the shock from his confession earlier. As the kiss became more heated, they both moved forward, decreasing the distance between them until she ended up straddling his lap. What started as a soft kiss became a ferocious and passionate one. He smiled against her lips. If it was up to him, he would never wanted to wake up from the dream. Wait, what?

Karma's eyes flew open. His heart was beating heavily against his ribcage. He took a deep breath and drank some water to cool himself down. He tried to sleep, but failed. His mind was too occupied for him to rest. His rapid heartbeat didn't help either. He kept thinking back to the dream earlier, how their lips mashed together, how good she tasted. Wait, why is she in his dream? And why can't he stop thinking about it? Sure, he used to have a little bit of crush on her (who wouldn't? she's just **that** pretty), but that was years ago. He's over it, right?

xxxxx

 _Earlier at the office_

Rio cursed herself. How can she be so dumb by letting herself believe that whoever opened the door earlier had not sneaked in while making it seemed like he/she left. Simple. She was not expecting the person to have skills as an assassin! Once she got over her shock, she took in his appearance. He looked the same as he did years ago. Same scarlet hair, same smirk (damn she loved that mischievious smirk of his) and he was sitting in his usual slacking off style. At lost for what to do (she was bad at greeting old acquaintances), whether she should act formal or casual, she made a face like that of a person who was caught doing something bad (you know that one smiley which showed its teeth, thats the face).

"What are you doing here? This is not your room," he asked. She looked at him, surprised. How did he knew. She was about to ask him that when he added, "Unless your name is Mr. Tanaka, which i'm pretty sure its not". Oh yeah. How could she forgot. There's a name on the table. "Sorry Mr. Akabane," she gave a slight bow. She decided to act formally. Its a lot safer. Plus, who knew if Karma remembered her or not. For all she knew, he might think she was just some random girl who sneaked into the office. His laugh brought her attention back to him. "Whats with the formal act? There's no one here Nakamura-san". She smirked to hide her shock. Guess he still remembered her.

She immediately straighten up and stretched her back. "Ah, thank goodness. I'm so tired of acting formally," she said as she arched her back. She then moved around the table and placed herself on it. Karma's eyes followed her every move. "By the way, I knew you remember me," she said. He raised an eyebrow. "How so?" "Who wouldn't remember the amazing Nakamura Rio!" she exclaimed, which earned her a scoff. She laughed it off. Within seconds, they were both engaged in a laughter-filled conversation, talking about random things, as though they were close friends who did not just met again after more than ten years.

xxxxx

The next morning, Rio had the day off. But seeing as she got nothing to do, she decided to drop by the office to see if she could find Karma and maybe, they can grab something for lunch. Its what friends do, right? So she hop off the bed and into the shower. After that, she went to her closet and looked at her choice of clothing. Seeing as it was looking sunny outside, she opted for a light pink lacy blouse and a pair of tight black jeans. After putting on some light makeup and her black platforms, she grabbed her car key from the dresser and left the house.

The drive to the embassy was surprisingly short, even with minor traffic jam. Still in her car, she typed her red-haired friend a text. Then it hit her. She didn't have his number! She groaned. How stupid can one be. Now she had to find him herself to ask if he's free. But wait. He's the freaking Prime Minister! And he was on a diplomatic visit! How can he have free time? She groaned again, annoyed at her own stupidity. How could she not think of that earlier?

Meanwhile, Karma had managed to sneak out for a while from the meeting. He had excused himself for a toilet break for a while, saying it was dead important. The other ministers were clearly disturbed by his lack of seriousness in the matter of discussion, but he's the prime minister. He's the boss. Karma knew that he must start to be more profesional and serious in his job, but hey, he's only 25! And at the end of the day, he still get the job done right?!

Using his stealth skill, he sneaked out the toilet from the small window to avoid the two bodyguards stationed outside. At first, he had refused the company of the black-clad men, but the ambasador had insisted. Remembering one of Koro-sensei's advice, he relented. Now, he was climbing the window to free himself. Within seconds, he did it! Still in stealth mode, he estimated the route to his car. Then he saw her. Rio was in her car, lightly hitting her head on the steering wheel. He smirked. Now what got her so worked up? With unusual speed, he sprinted to her car. He was glad to find the door unlocked.

"Ho- wha-," Rio stuttered, clearly Karma had caught her off guard. "Go. Hurry," he instructed. Knowing better than to ask questions now, Rio drove the car out of the embassy compound. She only stopped when they were a safe distance away. She turned to ask him question, but was cut off by the red. "What are you doing at the embassy? I thought today's your off day". She smirked. "I thought i was gonna play good host today. Y'know, show my friend around town. Then i remembered that he is the Prime Minister and he wouldn't have time tobplay tourist with me". When he didn't respond, she asked, "Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be in a meeting or something?" Then it dawned on her. "You're ditching aren't ya?" His smirk was all it took to confirm her suspicion.

"Now, you wanna play host? Lets go. Show me around".

'And Nakamura, i'll always have time for you'.


	3. chapter 3

What started as a random play-tourist soon became more outings together. When Karma's two-week diplomatic visit rached an end, they had been going out for eight times already! And they saw each other almost everyday too, especially since Rio was going to be ambassador soon so she kind of had to shadow the current ambassador. Although, she usually had to sit out during meetings. When that happened, she would usually go to sit somewhere (preferably a park nearby) and counted how long it'll take for Karma to materialize beside her. The ministers did realize that Karma would go AWOL when Rio was not in the meeting so after the fifth time he went missing, they decided that Rio would be joining their meetings. They speculated that Karma had something for the blonde lady, after all, they were both young. With Rio present at the meeting, that'll at least guarantee Karma's full attendance. Plus, it'd be good practice for her when she become ambassador, they reasoned.

xxxxx

It was his last day in the US. He was going back to Japan that evening. The embassy had threw a small lunch feast as goodbye. He had tried to catch Rio amidst the attendees, but she was nowhere to be seen. He found himself disappointed that he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to his friend before he departed. The whole day, his mood was down. He hid it well though, as a leader should. But his mood greatly improved again when he saw her at the airport. Turns out, she was one of the few 'important people' who would see him safely boarding the plane. Catching her attention, he gave her a signal saying they should talk. When the others were busy with the press, the two of them sneaked out to meet in front of a candy shop at the airport.

Karma was glad that Rio noticed and actually understood his signal earlier. She maintained a cool composure as she approached the meeting place but let herself smile when they were close enough. He noticed that she also had her shades on. "Its less obvious when a couple wear shades indoors than only one of them wears it," she stated. "Now come on. Lets get in. I saw wandering reporters around". Once they were in, safely among shelves of chocolatey goodness, he asked her why hadn't he saw her during lunch earlier. She told him that she had to be at the airport since morning to check everything. They had to make sure the Prime Minister of Japan leave the country safely. It was standard protocol, he knew. But coming from her, he couldn't help but feeling a little flattered.

Five minutes later, they both exited the shop. They hugged each other and said their goodbyes one last time before both put on their serious faces and sneaked back into the cameras.

xxxxx

"How was your trip, Karma?"

Hearing no reply, Nagisa got up from his laying position to look at his long-time best friend. He seemed to be busy looking at something in his phone. Occasionally, he let out small chuckles. Curious of his friend's quite unusual behavior, the blue-haired teacher sneaked behind him and took a peek. Karma was flicking through pictures in the gallery, and he had stopped at a picture of a certain blond. "Nakamura-san looks so pretty," he commented before he could stop himself. Karma nodded, absentmindedly. Then realizing what he just did, he turned around only to see his best friend was already in the kitchen, his back to him. He hoped Nagisa hadn't noticed his nod earlier.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Nagisa turned on the coffeemaker for some caffeine. While waiting for the amazing goodness to brew, he took his phone from where it was charging and typed a message to Kayano. 'Somethings fishy going on with our prime minister'. Her reply came in almost immediately. 'What is it? Do tell _~' He chuckled. Typical Kayano, always up for a new gossip. 'Think he have something for Nakamura-san. Tell you the details later. Tomorrow, 4 pm usual place?'

'What about i come by to your school tomorrow after shoot?'

'Its a date!'

Kayano read through the words over and over again. She couldn't believe it. Who knew three simple words would make her so happy. Sure, they went out multiple times, but he never call it a date. **Never**. So him saying its going to be a date made her innards burst. That, and the fact that he actually let her come to his workplace. He never did that before! And plus, she was going to get the latest gossip regarding the country's beloved prime minister, and it may involve a close friend. How can she not be excited. 3 good things going to happen at a time, it was simply too much for the energetic girl. She slept that night with a content smile.


	4. chapter 4

Ten years ago, hearing the name Sakakibara Ren would make Nakamura Rio shiver with disgust. How could she not? Not only the fact that the was one fifth of the Five Virtuosos, he was one hell of a womanizer. The number of girls he dated exceeded even Maehara's. So when she met him during her first days in London, she thought it was better for her to ignore him and acted as though she didn't know him. But fate (and apparently him) thought otherwise. He had approached her one day when she was contentedly having tea with her friends and had asked them if he could 'borrow' Rio for a while to talk. Her friends, who visibly swooned, were fast to shove Rio out of her seat, away from her creamy caramel tea. Then, she felt so betrayed but now, she was glad of it as Ren turned out not to be as bad as she thought. Since then, she and him had become some kind of best friends. They kept in touch even after both graduated university and he went back to Japan while she moved to America.

So it was no surprise that when she first step foot on Japanese soil again after more than ten years, her first destination was his publishing house. His publishing company was well known among not only local authors and poets, but also those from overseas. All of the books, especially poem books, published by the company became immediate bestseller as the public was aware that their published books were only of the highest quality. That and his reputation as one of the most sought after bachelor attracted women, young and old alike to support his business. Standing in front of the ten storey building that was one of his 'greatest accomplishment', as he himself quoted, Rio couldn't help herself but letting her girly excitedness surfaced. She was eager to meet her best friend. The surprised look on his face when she entered his office was priceless, she had to take a picture.

xxxxx

"I have a gala tomorrow night. But, i happened to have no date for it. And you know me, i would never go to parties without one. NEVER. So, would you do the honor of being my date?" he asked her later over a big serving of sundae.

"I don't know. I might be a little busy..." she drawled. Ren's face fell. "Oh.. ok then". Rio chuckled. "Don't look so glum. I'm just kidding. Jeez stop thinking so seriously. Of course i'll go with you. I happened to love parties, remember?".

xxxxx

There were so many dresses to choose from that Rio found herself spinning. She had gone straight to Kayano's after the meeting with Ren. She was going to stay at Kayano's throughout her visit, or at least until she found somewhere else to stay at. Kayano, being a very busy lady, was unfortunately still at her set thus she had asked Rio to help herself first and she would be back as soon as she can. Its a good thing Kayano used pasword lock instead of the conventional lock and key. And Rio happened to be a good guesser when it comes to passwords. After settling her luggages beside the main door, she headed straight to Kayano's walk-in closet. Inside, garments of all kinds were nicely tucked. Rio's attention went to the dresses section. She so happened to need it.

Ten minutes in the closet, Rio still had no idea which dress would be appropriate for the gala tomorrow night. Ren had told her that the theme was going to be modern fantasy, whatever that is. He also reminded her that as she was going to be **his** date, and since he was the host, she would have to dress perfectly according to the theme, right to the dots. Rio sighed. That guy could not not choose some weird-ass complicated theme. Deciding that she would ask for Kayano's help once she came back, Rio spent the free time baking a cake and making puddings for the green haired actress. When Kayano arrived home two hours later, Rio was already safe in the dreamland. She found a note stuck to the fridge. 'I made your favorite dessert!' it said. When she opened the fridge, her eyes sparkled. There sat four puddings, all in different colors. Before she knew it, she had devoured them all before passing out on the couch with a content stomach.

xxxxx

To say she looked good was an understatement. Clad in a form-fitting sparkly golden orange dress, face adorned with gold-themed makeup, she glowed like a fairy. What stopped him from continue thinking about her ethereal form however, was the big question of 'why was she here?' 'why didn't she tell him that she was in town?' and most importantly, WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE DOING WITH ONE OF THE BIGGEST HEARTBREAKER, REN?! And why the hell did they look so friendly with each other? With the way they were acting with one another, if he didn't know any better, he would say that they were a couple. And he did not know any better. Karma shook his head, composing himself before walking towards the 'couple'.

"You sure are too busy to let a friend know that you're in town," he opted for a tease.

The blonde turned around quickly upon hearing the familliar voice. Too quickly that Karma noticed had it not for Ren's arm around her slender waist, she might fall over. "Karma!" she exclaimed, surprise evident in her eyes. He only smirked in return.

"Prime Minister. I'm glad you could fit in my party on your busy schedule," said the man whose arm was currently draped around Rio's waist.

"I always make time for an old _friend_ ," he made sure to stress on the particular word. Noticing this, Rio chuckled. Both men looked at her questioningly. She then proceeded to whisper something to Ren which caused him to look rather sharply (simply said, he was glaring) at the red-haired young Prime Minister. He then excused himself from the blonde and the redhead, saying he had some business to attend to and hoping they would enjoy the party.

Once he was out of sight, Rio turned to Karma. "Let's go somewhere else," she said. He smirked. "Want to be intimate already? You sure are impatient". She rolled her eyes, hoping he did not see her blush. She simply walked past him, knowing he would follow her. And that he did, a smirk lingered on his face.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the two friend, three pair of eyes were watching their every move. Keeping a safe distance, they trailed after the two out of the grand hall.


	5. chapter 5

**Ok honestly i dont see where this story is heading. I had a plotline, but not anymore. I forgotten it sometime ago when i was too busy thinking about a new story. But regardless, this story is fun to write so i guess i'll keep writing it, even if no ones reading (:**

Rio Nakamura had always loved gossip. Be it involving her wide circle of friends or celebrities. But since her stride up the diplomatic ladder, she had less time to indulge in the latest gossips. She even found herself reading the international news section of a newspaper more often than she passed through the gossips section. However, one Monday morning, the day after Ren's party, she felt inclined to check out the gossips section of the local newspaper. Leaning on her back on the red comfy inclined sofa in Kayano's living room, she sifted through the pages, looking for interesting news. One caught her eye.

If not for a fact that the title itself filled a quarter of the page, a picture of a certain redhead and a blonde caught her attention. She read over the words in bold. 'Has our young Prime Minister found love?' it said. Her eyes skimmed over the smaller texts underneath the gigantic ones. "He was seen hanging around a mysterious girl at a party. The two seemed to exchange a few friendly and flirty banter throughout the night. They left the party together at one point, no doubt to be alone. Is our prime minister unavailable anymore? Have many young ladies lost their chance with this handsome lad?" she read aloud. "What the heck? They are actually allowed to write these kind of things about him?" she snickered before sipping on her fresh breakfast tea. Karma better be ready not only for her but for all their friends because for sure he will have to answer a lot of things.

...

Unlike Rio, Karma was not fond of newspapers. He read them, yes, though not religiously like the blonde beauty. Just enough to know what the people talks about. As for current country affairs, he would rather hear it from the ministers themselves, therefore he could tell if they were being honest or otherwise. To him, newspaper was just a waste of time, and paper too. He even asked the staff to stop putting the day's newspapers on the coffee table in his office. He would never pick them up anyway. Even on the rare times when he checked the news, he usually did it online.

"Boo!" A blonde popped from behind the chair he was sitting on. He did not even flinch. Instead, he asked her straightaway. "What do you want? And please don't break into my office again next time." She just laughed. "You're no fun." She perched herself on the table, at the only area where nothing was on it which was directly in front of Karma. He took in her clothing. She wore a sleeveless light orange turtleneck dress with a string belt around her hips. The dress was long enough to cover her to the mid thigh. When she sat down however, it went up a bit (he wasn't sure if she noticed or not) that he thought he saw glimpse of her underwear when she moved to cross her legs. 'Is that red panties?' he thought. Damn his male mind couldn't help but wanted to make sure and maybe, take it off.

She didn't seem to notice his oggling eyes as she was too busy talking about his privacy or something. His mind went back to reality when she snapped her fingers in front of him. "Are you even listening to me?" she asked, frustrated. He smirked. "Nope. I was too entranced by you to listen," he replied bluntly, making Rio blush. She quickly shook it off and reached for a newspaper on the other side of the wide table. She shoved it on his face. Confusion was evident in his expression. "Middle page," she instructed. He flipped through the pages and found the article. A smirk formed on his face as he read it. "Why the hell are you smirking?" Rio asked, disbelief. "Cuz baby, we're famous".

"And Rio darling, who read newspaper anymore nowadays?"

...

Rio could not believe him. How could he be fine with the rumours going on about him. Did he even think that it was going to affect his career? That it could ruin his credibility? That people would look down on him? Did he even know what a gossip could to a person?! When she let these questions out to him, he only laughed which fumed her even more. Plus, he had the gall to comment on her dress after that. She had left his room soon after with a huff.

Speaking of which, she didn't know why she had this urge to look good in front of him. For all she knew, she could just went to see him in the tshirt and shorts she wore earlier in the morning but no, instead she rummaged through her luggage (since she hadn't found time to unpack yet) to find a nicer clothe. She even went the length of putting on full makeup (though she made it looked natural because she wouldn't want him to think she wanted to look good for him, which technically was what she wanted to do but he didn't have to know, right?).

"If you wear like that everytime we meet, something really will happen between us." The meaning behind his words suddenly hit her, making her blush. She quickly shook her head. 'Stop overthinking Rio. For all you know, he didn't mean it like that.' Because her mind couldn't seem to stop thinking about it, she absently slapped herself a few times, just hard enough to snap herself out of thinking about the other prankster. Since both her eyes were shut, she didn't notice when someone walked up to her table until he spoke up. "I wouldn't do that if i were you. Wouldn't want to ruin such a pretty face."

Her eyes immediately flew open. She looked up to a good looking man smiling at her. **Very** good looking. She could tell his smile was sincere, it even reached his eyes, making them sparkle in the sunlight. His face was well structured and his light hair, tousled in a way she found very cute. "Mind if i join you?" he asked in the melodious masculine voice of his. As her tongue failed to move, Rio only nodded. She quickly brought down her hands when she noticed they were still attached to her cheeks. Seeing her still baffled, he called for the waiter to place an order. While waiting for their food, he addressed her. "So, what's that about?"

"Huh?" She looked at him, confused of what he meant.

He chuckled. She loved his laugh straightaway. Unlike Karma's evil 'cackle' his was soothing. "Sorry. I don't mean to pry, and i know we just met, but i can't help but wonder what made a pretty lady like yourself hit your face earlier."

"Oh." 'Seriously Rio? That's all you can do? One word answer? What happen to you girl?'

He scratched the nape of his neck nervously. "Sorry. You didn't have to tell if you don't want to."

"No no it's fine." Rio finally found her voice. "Its just... i was trying to stop myself from thinking about some things."

"Mind sharing what's it about?"

"Its silly really." She glanced at the guy in front of her. His face clearly showed full interest. "Ok here goes. I have this one _friend_ , i don't know, he really ticked me off. How could he be okay when people snooped on his life. And those people, don't they know what is privacy?" She continued to rant, and he listened tentatively, smiling all the way. Little did she knew, he was only half listening to what she said and the other half of his attention was captivated by her. She only stopped rambling when their food arrived. After a thanks to the waiter, she turned to him. "Sorry you have to hear me rant. And thank you, its nice to actually let it out." She smiled, sincerely. Now he was the one who was at loss of words. Luckily he snapped out quick enough to not make it awkward. "Yeah sure. I don't mind. Not everyday a pretty lady opens up to you." She blushed. They both had their meal in silence.

...

Hanzo Takeru was proud of himself. God knows how nervous he was earlier. He was not a womanizer, but he never really had trouble talking to one courtesy of his looks. But the blonde lady earlier, she made his stomach do funny flips. As soon as he stepped into the cafe, she straightaway caught his attention. She was slapping herself. Before he knew it, he was already at her table. It would be awkward if he just walked away, so he spoke to her. And he thought she looked cute when she was rambling to him earlier. She was cute even when frustrated he found his eyes fixed on her. After the lunch, he insisted on paying and she had thanked him with the breathtaking smile of hers. They then went on their way, he back to his work and she, who knows, back to heaven maybe. When he arrived in his room did he only realized, he never did get her name.

...

After Rio left, Karma tried to get back to his work but his mind couldn't seem to focus on it. His eyes drifted to the paper she left on his table. He looked at the article again. There was a picture of them (he and Rio) when they were at Ren's party. But the photos were all taken behind their backs, so they didn't capture their faces. Subconciously, he wished they had a photo with their faces on it. He would love to see the reaction of his exclassmates upon seeing him with her. Putting the paper back down, he picked uo his phone. Since he can't do his work now, might as well check the internet. Woah, he was trending! Not just in Japan, but worldwide. Since they did not caught the face of the 'mysterious lady' and she was a blonde, people were speculating that she might not be Japanese. He read some of the tabloids articles online before decided to text Rio.

 ** _Hey Nakamura we're famous._**

To his delight, her reply came in almost immediately.

 ** _Still not talking to you._**

He typed back.

 ** _Yet you replied._**

This time she didn't reply. She left him on bluetick.

 ** _Check the Internet. It'll cheer you up._**

 ** _Oh and text me once you're talking to me again. Or just call. I'll always have time for my dearest ;)_**

...

Rio arrived home with a smile still on her face. Kayano, who was casually lounging on the sofa, puddings on the coffee table, saw this. "Back from a date?" she asked teasingly. "Nope," Rio replied as she took a seat beside the actress. "But it might as well be." Kayano squeeled. She put her pudding down and turned slightly so she was facing the other lady. "Tell me more!" And Rio did. She told her of her lunch with the guy from earlier, in full details. She purposely left out the fact that she had went to see Karma to talk about the article as she didn't want to ruin her story. When she finished, Kayano was in full giddy girl mode.

"Whats his name?"

"Huh?"

"The guy? Whats his name?"

Wait. She didn't know. She never bothered to ask. For some reason, she found it funny so she laughed. "I forgot to ask." Kayano sweatdropped but then joined Rio in a fit of laughter. Just as their laugh died down, a message went in. Kayano instantly perked. "Could that be him?"

"I wish," Rio grumbled. "Its just Karma."

Kayano went back to her pudding, leaving Rio to her message. Then it hit her. She had read earlier on one of her social media a gossip that Karma had a girl. Maybe Rio knew about it. "Hey Rio. You went to Ren's party yesterday night, right?"

The other girl nodded, her eyed stay glued to her phone.

"Do you happen to see Karma? I don't know, with a girl maybe?"

She noticed Rio tensed a bit. "You saw the picture?" she asked.

The actress replied. "No. I just read it somewhere. And the class' groupchat were going crazy about it. Last i checked, there were 300 new messages and that was two hours ago."

Rio turned to look at the actress. "Please don't tell anyone." Kayano looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

Rio passed Kayano her phone. On it was a picture of two people, a couple maybe. A redheaded guy and a blonde lady. They guy was Karma, that Kayano could tell at first glance. The blonde though. Wait! She knew that dress. It was hers. It was a designer's so there was no way others would have it. And she had lended it to... Realization hit her. She looked at the blonde beside her who was currently changing the channel on the tv.

"You and Karma?!!"


	6. chapter 6

A ding was heard. Groggily, Kayano reached for her phone. The clock showed a quarter past five. Good, she still had another hour before she was required to be on set. The notification bar told her that she had a message. It was from Karma. What could he possibly want this early in the morning? She decided to ignore it. Then another message went in. This time, it was from Nagisa. She was instantly up.

 **Wake up you sleeepyhead**

She groaned. She couldn't believe she actually fell for Karma's trick again. He always use Nagisa's phone to text her so she wouldn't ignore him.

 **What do you want? You still owe me sleep from last time.**

His reply came in from his own number.

 **Shhh.. We don't want Nagisa to know that, don't we? *winkwink**

Ok now she was confused. Not to mention, sleepy. Lack of sleep made Kayano a grumpy person and right now, she felt like chewing Karma's head off.

 **Just tell me why the hell you texted me this early in the morning!!**

He replied back.

 **Ok jeez. No need to be grumpy old man.**

 **Just wondering, have you seen my ipad? Nagisa borrowed it last time and he said he may have accidently left it at your place.**

She thought for a while.

 **Is it the one with a leather case? I was wondering whose is it. I'll ask Nakamura to send it to you later.**

 **N** **OW DON'T DISTURB ME! A GIRL NEEDS HER BEAUTY SLEEP!!**

 **Oh and please watch my latest movie ;)**

His only reply was a **NO**.

xxxxx

Rio walked into the building where Karma worked with a heavy heart. She woke up that morning with a note taped on her door asking if she could help send the ipad on the coffee table to Karma. As she had nothing better to do (and being an angel she was) she texted Kayano saying she'd do it. But she still was not talking to Karma. She would just walk up to his office and left the ipad at the front desk so someone (his secretary maybe because she knew he had one) could go down to fetch it for him. But the plan failed miserably as soon as she arrived, a young lady had approached her, saying the Prime Minister was expecting her arrival. She had escorted Rio to the lift and pushed the button to his floor. Though from her body language, Rio could tell the lady was not too pleased with what she had to do. Guess Karma misused his power. Why weren't she surprised.

Instead of barging in (she decided to make this meeting as formal as possible. seeing how she still wouldn't want to talk to him as friends), she knocked on the door. She knocked a few times before a reply came from the inside. "Come in."

Closing the door behind her, she bowed a little. "Mr. Akabane, here is the ipad you asked for," she said in her profesional tone while placing the item on his desk. "If there's nothing else, i'll be going now." She quickly left the room before Karma got a chance to say anything.

Safely outside, Rio let out the breath she did not know she was holding. Damn it, she would never thought it'll be this hard to not play around with the redhead. Glad its over now. Just as the lift stopped by a floor while on the way down, she was met with a familliar face. It was the attractive guy from yesterday! Something more than mere recognition lit his face. Is it excitement? She felt her stomach flipped with joy.

"Hi," he started. "Fancy meeting you again. So, i never really got your name. I'm Takeru." He held out a hand.

"Nakamura."

xxxxx

 **Few days later...**

The bond between Rio and Karma had been mended, thanks to Kayano and Nagisa who persuaded each hard-headed devil to make up. In all honesty, both the actress and teacher were just too tired of having to act as mediators for the guarelling 'couple'. After lots of persuasion and few bribes, the two finally talked again and in no time, it was like nothing happened between them.

Occasionally, Karma would invite Rio over to his office to help him with a few things, especially those related to foreign affairs. Contract reviewing, diplomatic agreements, that sort of things. Though, that was just an excuse. In reality, he just wanted to see her and spend as much time with her as possible before she went back to the US. Pathetic, yes he knew that but he couldn't help but enjoy his time with her around. He may not be a romantic, but he was not entirely heartless too (this, some would disagree). Plus, the fact that she would always say yes when he asked her to come over meant that she enjoyed it too, right?

The redhead notice how Rio prefered to lounge lazily on the couch while reading over the reports. Sometimes, when something caught her attention, she would straigthen up and write some notes on a piece of paper, then back to her original position. When someone knocked on the door however, was the funny part. She would shot up instantly, gathered the papers and ran over to the seat across from Karma at his table. Thanks to her agility from her assassin trainings, she managed to do it in under ten seconds so when the other person opened the door, she would already at the desk, bent down on the reports. He asked her on why she did that. She could always just remained at the couch when someone came to see him. She only shrugged at that.

After what felt like hours of reading, Rio noticed how her eyes felt dry. She needed a break. Plus, it was already noon and her stomach was begging to be filled. Looking over to Karma who was still focused on reading something, she wondered if he was tired too. From what she could tell, he was working times as hard.

All this time, Rio had seen Karma as someone laid-back and maybe, lazy. Sure, he excelled in his studies but she always thought that was because he was such a genius and a gifted student when it came to academics. When he was named Prime Minister, Rio was a bit shocked but it then made sense as she was well aware of his ability to lead (proven lots of time especially back in their assassination classroom days) and solving problem and other good leadership qualities. But, seeing his face all scrunched-up, deep in focus on finishing his job, that was new. She wondered if there's something in his koro-sensei's advice book that changed him. Or maybe he was like this from the start and he was just too good at hiding it.

Shaking her head to snap herself out of her thought, Rio then went up to the focused redhead. He didn't seem to notice her move. Weird. He was usually always on guard. 'He must be very stressed out,' she thought. Standing beside him, she could see his strained muscles. Without thinking, she perched herself on the arm of the chair and reached out to massage his shoulder. He stiffened a bit before relaxing again, a moan escaping his parted lips. She felt weirdly satisfied by it. She bent down a little so she could whisper to his ear. "This session is free. Next time though, i'll charge." He groaned, "You just ruined the moment, Nakamura."

"Come on," she said, already standing and was tugging on his hand. "Let's get something to eat."

xxxxx

Takeru had stopped by the deputy prime minister's room to personally hand in some reports. It was only natural for him to pass by the prime minister's office on his way to the lift. He was thinking of grabbing some lunch as his stomach was grumbling like crazy. However, a sight he accidently met with extinguished any appetite he had before. The young prime minister was stumbling out of the door, a blonde lady tugging at his left hand. Not just any blonde, but HIS blonde. Nakamura. What is she doing here? And with the prime minister, of all people? Worst, they both looked so happy. Though he sported a bored look, Takeru could see a hint of smile on his face. Rio, on the other hand, was laughing her heads off, her arm now clinging to his.

Could he be the 'friend' Nakamura talked about? If so, how could he compete with someone as perfect as Karma?

 **flashback**

"What are you doing here at the office? I mean, you seemed to be here a lot. I'm pretty sure you don't work here, right?" he asked in between chews.

"Nothing really. Just visiting a friend. Sometimes he asked me to help with..." she thought for a while before continuing, "'things'," she added the air quotes so he understood that it was not something she wanted to share.

He nodded, understood. But he still wanted to know more. "So this friend of yours, which ministry does he work for?" Then a thought hit him. "Oh, is he a minister?"

She seemed to weigh in his words for a while. "Hmmmm sort of."

 **en** **d of flashback**

 **Hi so before i became such a lazyass, i decided to finish off this story as fast as i could. Im writing as often as i can, only daily life and writers block stopping me. And i think i should fasten the progress a little bit. im sure you people are tired of waiting. Ok i'll try to fill chapter 7 with fluffs cuz honestly, im a sucker for fluffs.**


	7. chapter 7

**As much as i love reading fluffs, i'm not too good at writing em.**

As a flirt herself, Rio was the opposite of oblivious. But with Karma, it was different. She couldn't tell if he genuinely liked her or it was just a playful gesture between them. He was not known for his emotions, true, but she was lying if she said she hadn't saw any prove of him actually have a heart. Hmmm...

Moment 1

It was like all those typical drama. They got back from a dinner with some friends from old times. They drank, yes, but not too the point of drunk. Tipsy, maybe. He dropped her off at Kayano's. Kayano was out of town so she had the house all to herself. She invited him in for some drink. He agreed. She made them both a mug of Kayano's expensive hot chocolates, which they savored in an instant. The warmth of the drink going down her throat elicited a moan from her. She was too absorbed in the soothing warmth that she did not notice a trickle going down at the edge of her lips. As she had her eyes closed, she never saw Karma inching forward. When she opened her eyes, he was so close to her she could feel his breath. Before she could say anything, he stuck out his tongue and lick her lips where the chocolate stained. He finished with a brush of his lips on hers. All this he did while looking directly in her eyes, a twinkle of mischief clearly visible. He then sat up again, finished his drink and excused himself. She was too stunned to move, what more to show him to the door.

Moment 2

Takeru had just kissed her for the first time. After the lunch date, she had gone straight to Karma's office as he need her help with something. She had entered the room with a big smile on her face. Karma noticed this, but purposefully ignored it. She did all he asked with the smile still plastered on her face, he managed to not let it affect him. Whe there's nothing else for her to do, she lied on the sofa, looking at the ceiling dreamily, occasionally sighing to her herself. This made him really curious. He asked her about it. With the dreamy look on her face and a very big smile, she told him about the kiss. 'It was so good', 'he was so great', 'felt like a dream' she said. He scoffed but she didn't seem to notice.

Before heading out for a meeting, he stopped by the sofa (one which Rio was still daydreaming on) and put his things (ipad and a few files) on the coffee table. He bent over her, pining both her wrists to the sofa. Her smile was replaced by a confused expression. He lowered his lips to her. First it was just a graze. Then he landed his lips fully on hers. What started as a soft kiss quickly became a sensual one as she found herself kissing him back with the same ferocity as his. They pulled back a few times to catch their breaths, then resumed devouring each other's lips. He then pulled back, straighten up, took his files and head out the door. But not before he playfully said, 'How's that for a dream'.

Moment 3

She was at the nearby cafe having lunch. But the food was barely touched as her mind was currently elsewhere, to her future. She had a talk with her mother earlier and something she had said struck her. Her mother was questioning when will she be married. She was getting older, said she. Truth is, Rio never thought about it before. All she ever thought of was her goal. To be a diplomat. True, she dated here and there, but it was never anything serious. Settling down was not on her bucket list, yet.

Karma helped himself on the empty seat across from her. When she didn't acknowledge him like usual, he knew something was bothering her. He wanted to help if he could, but being Karma, he had to play it cool. He started by pulling her plate of pasta to him.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. She seemed to want to add something but decided against it. She began to get up. "Never mind. Wasn't going to eat it anyway."

Before she could leave, Karma grabbed hold of her wrist. He softly pulled her so she sat on the bench beside him (yknow the park bench, the long one, yes thats it. the cafe is park-themed btw). As he was still holding on her right wrist by his left hand, when she sat down, he had his arm around her waist, holding her in an embrace. She leaned herself against him and absentmindedly began tracing lines on the wrist of his shirt with her left hand.

"What bothers you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Don't you trust me?"

She sighed. He gave her lots of reason to not trust him, but the problem was, she trusted him either way.

"Do you think i should start thinking of the future more? I mean, like marriage and family, something like that."

She could hear him chewing on her penne before he answered, with a question, "What do YOU think?"

"Honestly, i don't think i'm ready. I want to have my own family, yes, but not now. I don't want to give up my dreams just yet."

He swallowed another spoonfull of her lunch. "Yknow you don't have to do that. You wanted to be a diplomat right?"

She nodded. He continued. "Who said a diplomat have to be a single lady? In fact, most diplomats are married old geezers." She lifted her head to glare at him.

"Ok sorry. I mean, its fine if you're not ready, take your time. But you shouldn't rule it out either. You would miss the chance of your life, if you did that."

She nodded slowly. She was back to leaning against him, her head resting against his shoulder. Then, she wondered, "How about you, Karma? Had anyone in mind?"

"Yeah. But i don't think she wanted to talk about it. She's not ready, i guess," he answered nonchalantly, taking another spoonfull of her pasta.

"Don't worry. She'll open up to you. She was one very lucky lady, to be noticed by you." She put her hand on his (at one point, he somehow released her wrist and his left fingers and her right was now intertwined) and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "And you better tell me when you guys go official. I don't want to know it from the tv first."

"Believe me. You won't."

He resisted the urge to kiss her head thus opting to finish the pasta. They stayed close together in silence, with he eating and she tracing circles on the back of his hand, a smile plastered on both faces. He was happy that Rio told him what was bothering her. That meant she trusted him. And she was happy to be able to trust someone.

Moment 4

"Hey Karma."

The redhead looked up. Rio was at the other side of the meeting room, lazily lounging on the table. It was not proper and she was aware that she shouldn't be doing it but then again, she shouldn't be here either.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked, turning her head so she was facing him. "I mean, you're pretty good looking. And you're rich and succesful too."

"I'm too busy," he said nonchalantly.

"Or... are you actually.." she gasped. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

She turned her body so she was lying on her stomach, her elbows propped her up. "Well, are you? Y'know..." She looked at him expectantly while he looked at her blankly. She groaned. "Are you gay?" she asked, her voice lowered to an almost whisper.

What? He laughed. Where did she get the idea?

"Whats so funny?" she huffed.

"As far as i know, i'm straight. Just waiting for the girl i like to like me back, i guess."

She perked up. "Ooooohhhh.. there is someone then. Who is it? Tell me tell me tell me!!" she demanded. He just went back to his documents. "Karmaaaaa" she whined. "I can help you. Pleaseeeeee."

Seeing he would not budge, she gave up. For now. She got up from the table and straightened her dress. "Fine. I have to go now anyway. Wouldn't want to keep Ren waiting."

"What are you doing with him? You guys seemed close."

She thought she heard something akin to jealousy in his tone. But then again, that may be because she was hanging out with one of their former 'sworn enemy'. "I'm three-timing Takeru and you with him of course." She swung out of the window onto the roof. She got in illegally so she got out the same way. "Don't think you're off the hook yet!" she said, before sprinting off, ninja assassin style.

 **Hey. So i got back from the eye doctor a** **nd made myself a new spectacles vuz apparently, my power went up.. again. So, from now on, i'll only write during the daytime (Asian daytime = Europe nightime) to lower the risk of me becoming as blind as bat. I may be exagerating but IF ANYONE HAVE A PAIR OF EYES WITH GOOD EYESIGHT TO SPARE, HMU! I'm tired of glassesssss**


	8. chapter 8

**A night ten(maybe less) years ago...**

After graduation, the girls of class 3-E organised themselves a sleepover. It might be their last time together as they would be going their own ways for high school. So the girls all bundled up in their blankets, decided it would be fun to know each other's crushes.

As they sat forming a circle, Rio, as always, initiated, "Kayano, you go first!"

The green haired girl whined. "But you guys already knows!"

"True. But we would love to hear it from you," commented Megu, earning a highfive from the she-devil.

Shyly, Kayano told them "Nagisa."

"I cant hea..." Rio was cut off before she could finish.

"Ok moving on!"

Kayano gave Megu a grateful look, thanking her for stopping Rio before she could make fun of her.

When it was Okuda's turn, she had her head very low that the others could barely see her blushing face. "I...like...k..Karma," she stuttered, her voice more like a whisper. Questions were immediately fired towards the shy girl, which she answered, or try to anyway.

Rio stared at the purplette. She kind of saw it coming. After all, she had seen snippets of the other girl admiring the redhead. And she overheard Karma once said that he liked Okuda amongst the girls and it was good that they like each other, right?

Deciding it did her no good to dwell on the thought, Rio shifted the attention from Okuda by keeping the game going. She hoped no one noticed her silence for a while then. But unbeknownst to her, Rinka noticed. Nothing gets past the sniper girl.

Later that night, when the other girls were all asleep, Rio got up and went outside for some fresh air. Rinka, who was also awake, decided now was the time to approach the blonde.

"You didn't tell us who you like."

Rio let out a breath. She knew someone was still up. Just didn't expect it would be the sniper.

"You like him, don't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Rio tried to deflect it, though she know it was not working. "I dont like anyone. Plus, who are you talking about?"

Rinka sat beside Rio on the garden swing. "You know exactly who."

It was no use trying to hide it from her, Rio thought. She sighed. "Even if i do, it won't change anything.

Okuda is a sweet girl every guy wanted while me, i'm the one they will only see as friends. No one sane would choose me over her. He was no different." She then added, softly, "And they like each other too."

Rinka smiled. "You know. I used to think like you. It was impossible that Chiba would see me as more than friends, and yet, look at us now. It was thanks to you too. You kept pushing us, claiming you saw a spark, even back before i was sure of my own feelings.

Try talk to him. You'll never know. Oh and if you need someone to talk to about it, i'm always present." She got up and went inside, leaving Rio with her thoughts.

Rio never did talk to Karma about it. She went abroad a few months later and she never really contacted him ever since. Nor did he her. After graduation, she got news that he got together with Okuda. She messaged the girl, personally and in group chats, sending her congratulations and good wishes, telling her she was happy for them. But what no one knew was, when she send the text, she was sitting in the tub, crying her heart out. She had lost her chance.

Then Rio got herself a new number and didn't even bother to let the others know, only some of the closer friends. She went completely out of touch with the others, save for occasional message to Kayano and Nagisa. And Rinka, too.

xxxxx

 **A night seven years after the sleepover...**

Five years into Karmanami season, Rio heard the news that they broke up. It was later confirmed by Kayano who made it her personal mission to let Rio in on what their friends were up to.

Rinka texted soon after.

 **You have heard about them, have you**

Her reply was simple.

 **Yup**

Rinka: **Between you and me, i actually saw it coming for a while**

Rio was not surprised. Rinka was observant like that.

Rio: **Oh**

Rinka: **Dont you want to know more?**

Rio: **Well duh. Blackmail material**!

Rinka: **Manami was working for a new project, Karma too busy with work. They just drifted apart.** **And we all know how he needed attention ;)**

True. Karma wouldn't admit it, but he clearly LIVE for attention.

Rio: **Yeah.. just hope they both find someone better for them**

Rinka: **Hey.. sorry for asking but... you still, yknow, like him?**

Rio: **Dont know. Dont really like to think about** **it**.

Rinka: **Its fine if you still do, you know. Anyway, ne** **ed anything, just ask me. Ill do my best to help you. You helped me, now its my turn to return the favor.**

xxxxx

 **Back to the present**

 _ **One**_ _ **night a week before Rio went back to the US...**_

At his residence, Karma was planning his next move. He tried to show Rio that he liked her but so far, she hadnt given any sign that it was working. He kissed her several times, and each time he found himself wanting more. He wondered if she felt the same. He wished she did.

He caught her blushing on a few occasion when he was blatantly flirting with her but he couldnt really take it as 'the' sign because she blushed A LOT when she was with Takeru too.

Maybe he should try a more direct approach. Or should he straight up ask her? No, that would be a bad idea. What if she didn't like him? That would definitely cost their friendship.

Gosh, for a flirt who dated a lot of guys before, Rio sure could be dense. And for a guy who had more than enough experience in dating, he sure could be a nervous wreck when it comes to asking the girl he liked.

But whatever he decided to do, he knew he had to do it within the week, or he'll lose his chance with her, again...

 **ok this is short. sorry for not updating for a long time, tho. college happens.**


End file.
